All Tibetans should not be treated as separatists: female Tibetan cadre at CCP political meet

Phayul[Wednesday, March 07, 2018 18:23]

By Tenzin Dharpo

Kyi/file

DHARAMSHALA, Mar.7: A Tibetan singer and a veteran in the Chinese army on Tuesday appealed at a political meeting held in Beijing to not treat all ethnic Tibetans as separatist and that continuing to subject Tibetans with discrimination by authorities will hinder national unity.

Gowa Gyamo Kyi (ch.Guowa Jiamaoji) who has over 20 years of service in the Chinese military ranks was speaking at a panel session at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing. “I don’t think they should impose measures intended to deter separatists on the whole Tibetan race. It’s like there’s an order from above [for all] to follow,” she was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post.

The 54 year old known for her performances at Chinese political galas said that prejudice against Tibetans, even among the CCP cadres, emerged in the aftermath the 2008 unrest in Tibet. In 2008, prior to the Beijing Olympics, a pan-Tibet protest took place where ordinary Tibetans rose against Chinese colonial rule in their country including the capital Lhasa where riots broke out. The protests were met with resolute force by Chinese authorities.Kyi said that she was herself victim of such prejudice recalling an incident where she was not allowed to check into a Beijing hotel due to her ethnicity despite showing her military and CPPCC membership credentials. She also cited discrimination against Tibetan cadres, especially in predominantly Han-dominated areas.

“The mainland has a 4G network already, but in many parts of Tibet and Xinjiang [a restive western region that is home to the ethnic Uygur people], the network is still only 2G. Of course, it might be deliberate that the networks there are not so strong” the singer was reported saying while expressing disparity in infrastructure in so called minority areas like Tibet and Xinjiang at the meet.

The Tibetan singer who was born in eastern Tibet’s Qinghai province suggested that Tibetans hearts and mind can be won over with more relatable local cadres. She said, “Native cadres will stay here forever but cadres sent from the mainland only stay for two or three years before they are promoted to higher office. Local herders and farmers listen to the monks at their temples, and they would also listen to officials if they could relate to them better.”